Ecosystems – Integers & Absolute Value Project

Product Description

In this differentiated project, students will draw a sketch of an ecosystem using a vertical number line (to represent elevation), then place all the various plants and animals on the vertical number line according to their elevation.

They will then draw horizontal number lines to represent the high and low temperatures of the ecosystem over the course of a year.

Lastly, they will apply their knowledge of absolute value to find each organism’s distance from sea level, and distance from other organisms in the ecosystem.

Included in the project are 5 different ecosystems. Some include only positive integers, some include only negative integers, and some include a range of both negative and positive integers.

This is a fun way for 6th grade students to put their knowledge to work in a way that gives real life practice and a fun application to science. You could even use this with 7th graders as a review of integers and absolute value before more complex calculations.

Math Skills Needed For This Project:

• Creating vertical and horizontal number lines with appropriate scales
• Plot integer values on number lines
• Understand absolute value as distance from zero on the number line

Included in the download: Instructions/Teaching Tips; student handouts for 5 different ecosystems; grading rubric with assigned tasks/point values; blank grading rubric, allowing you to create your own criteria/point values; answer keys for absolute value & distance tables for each ecosystem; and student sample pages, including a drawing of the first ecosystem and hand drawn number lines for the temperature.